在北京出差3天，虽然没有时间更新blog，但每天深夜，在roomie翟梦睡下以后，我都会悄悄地打开手提电脑看上两眼。

每天奔波在会议和会议之间，在那个并不熟悉的城市里，总有些觉得out of place。只有每天夜幕降临的时候，才会特别想重新找回那些被遗落的敏锐感觉。

我总是在写字的时候才会听到心里来自远方的声音。我知道很多人都是这样。

只是在生活需要改变的时候，那种心底的呐喊总会在现实中慢慢平复下来，然后又开始规律但无聊的生活，做个普通意义上的成功者。

写到这里，想起sea在《Mona Lisa Smile》后的留言：

“Echo, to tell you the truth, since Ardil asked "what's the direction of your life journey?" and a lot of "WHYS" to our contests（不知道你还记得不），我一直在想，或许我们现在所学的，所付出的真的会have no point，但是我们都还是按照传统的理解学习着热门的专业，进有名的大学。虽然不曾怀疑付出的价值，但有时，的确会有些迷失自己的未来…”

看到留言的当时，我有很多话想说，却不知如何讲明白。写了几遍都觉得没有说尽。

在今天的研讨会上，不知算不算一种暗合，耳边居然不断出现Goal这个词。

四家世界知名的英文教材出版商做了四场presentation，每个人说起各自教材的优点，都提到：Every lesson has a goal.

朗文出版社的经理说: Most the time, if you ask people: “what’s your goal this year? What’s your goal next year? What’s your goal five years later?” few of them come up with a clear answer. But without a set of clear goals, how can you achieve them?

For students who are coming to the class, every time they should have a clear goal in their mind — what shall I achieve today?

剑桥出版社的经理说: What are the goals as a language teacher? Not until you figure out the goals will you figure out the challenges facing you in reaching them.

So, my friends, what’s your goal?

Man is a goal-seeking animal. His life only has meaning if he is reaching out and striving for his goal.

-- Aristotle

I have asked many people if they would like to be successful, they would say “Yes” right away. Then I asked them to define “being successful” in their view, they would usually frown and say to me: “I don’t know. I haven’t had a concrete idea yet. I just want to get good grades though I hate my major.”

So later on, the reality sets in. The road ahead seems too long with too many hills to climb and too many rivers to wade. Gradually, they become disheartened and feel lost, asking “Why am I taking all these tortures? It’s easier to just do what most people try to do.” So they give up, follow the tide and drop their own pursuit.

Without a strong purpose or reason, anything in life is hard. A purpose or a reason for contributing all these efforts is YOUR GOAL. It’s there to support, to motivate and to guide you.

In most cases, setting up a goal is not that hard. It is a combination of deep emotional “wants”.

Someone might say: “Ok, so I want to make million dollars.”

That’s your goal. And there’s no shame about getting rich. Many successful financial giants started building their own empires simply out of the goal — making good money to live a comfortable life.

With that goal in your head, you would be motivated everyday to get over the suffering of being financial literate. Sometimes when you feel like giving up, you might think of being financially free at an early age so that you can travel the world and live in the lifestyle you love. Then, you are refueled and keep moving.

Talking of me, when people ask about my reason for doing all these hard works in New Oriental School, I would say: “These are for reaching my goals.”

My “wants” list is simple: I want to make use of my competitive edge of language. I want to share my experience and resources with those in need. I want to help young people to reach their language proficiency. Well, "recognition" is one of my wants, excuse my frankness, but I would be much more delighted to know I’ve planted the seeds of hope and dream in my students’ hearts. Years later, at some special moments, they might think of me, saying with a smile: “I miss the days when I was in her class.”

These wants are my goals. Some might say: “Haven’t them been achieved?”

No. It’s a journey of rotation. Every time a new class begins, my journey starts again. The goals talk loud in my head -- be a good teacher and more than a teacher.

Actually, these are the drives which keep me improving and updating my lessons despite countless repetition. These are the magic alarms which kick me out of bed early enough to get ready for a morning class. These become the inner strength which supports me in my low time to ensure the best status in class.

These are the powers of GOALS.

As I said, without a strong reason or purpose, anything in life is hard.

You might argue that the future is mystery. Why not keep watching?

Well, as for me, I also enjoy the unknown part of life. But I never put myself at its mercy. For most of people without goals, they are most likely to end up wanderers, and start to complain about and get hostile to the world.

I am sure that’s not what you want. So, learn to control over your time and life by setting up your goals.

Writing to this point, a poem suddenly occurs to me. It’s a famous work by Robert Frost, entitled “The Road Not Taken”

I enclosed this poem as a closing remark. It might take time to have a real understanding. But remember: few poems reveal their beauty and meaning within one reading.

To some point, we are all travelers in this world. But don’t end up aimless wanderers. You need goals to be your guideposts, which assist your sailing to the dream kingdom.

Please open your mind and think.

Goodnight.

The Road Not Taken

TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood, 

And sorry I could not travel both 

And be one traveler, long I stood 

And looked down one as far as I could 

To where it bent in the undergrowth;       

Then took the other, as just as fair, 

And having perhaps the better claim, 

Because it was grassy and wanted wear; 

Though as for that the passing there 

Had worn them really about the same,        

And both that morning equally lay 

In leaves no step had trodden black. 

Oh, I kept the first for another day! 

Yet knowing how way leads on to way, 

I doubted if I should ever come back.        

I shall be telling this with a sigh 

Somewhere ages and ages hence: 

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— 

I took the one less traveled by, 

And that has made all the difference.

posted on 2006-10-28 00:29 江晓弘 阅读(11150) 评论(82)  编辑  收藏 所属分类: 讲台之上 网摘收藏